Vidhana Soudha used to be AMAZING ✨

Mr. Anand has been taking photographs of Vidhana Soudha outside Vidhana Soudha for the last 30 years. He tells us how Vidhana Soudha went from being the most happening public space in Bengaluru to a reserved parking lot for the Innova's and Fortuners of MLA's.
This is part of a larger trend, a city wide phenomenon where the government has designed public spaces to be unusable by the public. We've done some heavy research and investigation on the topic and written a long form story with lots more context, facts & tidbits.
Check out the the full story here, its free to read and hosted on our website:
bengawalk.com/Who-locked-up-t...

[@saisreekanthmulagaleti]

Thanks for featuring my classmates and i (5 of us standing on the median). Yes, Public spaces like these need to be truly public with free access. Grow more trees, make it pedestrian friendly and it will be a great public space for people to congregrate and celebrate.

[@saisreekanthmulagaleti]

Need to have weekend concerts, art programmes. The entire stretch from tiffany circle to basava circle should be pedestrain only (except for vidhana veedhi i guess) and open to all at all times...

[@CochinKerala]

It's sad that you had to rely on old movies for historical comparison to highlight the modern changes to the area. India as a nation has failed to document its modern history. It's so disheartening to note how little official videographic documentation is available, even for the era that was only 35 to 40 years ago. I am grateful that visuals from old movies serve as short time capsules for those of us who are nostalgic and also as points of reference for future generations.

[@iagreewithyou4328]

India has failed to document pretty much all of its history, not just modern history.
Everything we know (or we think we know?) of Indian history is from inference.
It seems that Indians in the past had absolutely no interest in documenting history in the way we understand it now.
Then again, their fundamental conception of time itself was different from what we think of it to be. They thought of time as not unilinear, but as cyclical, so the past was essentially the future.
Not sure if that influenced the lack of actual historical documentation,, or something else.

[@CochinKerala]

​@@iagreewithyou4328 Ditto your name - I agree with you indeed!
I think the people we call ancient Indians had no concept or even the concern about documenting history or their present day activities and achievements. The Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians etc. painstakingly recorded their own and their world's history, which has been a great source of information for us in this modern world. Unfortunately we cannot say the same about ancient India.

[@ankitait2]

2001 parliament attack was a huge reason to barricade government chambers though. While I am little perturbed by the brain dead city design Indian cities are mimicking from the US and Canada (home to the some of the most poorly designed urban spaces in the world), open access to Vidhan Souda is not ideal. However, a solution similar to Rashtrapati Bhavan can be utilized, access while assembly is not in session.

[@mongoose1618]

It's a public building, should be open to the public.

[@SanjayGopi-nc9sk]

It was open until some prick decided to do something naughty.

[@jishnu9551]

Better not to considering our track record of keeping things clean

[@siddharthmangharam9774]

Thanks for featuring me 1:32
I’m happy to be part of the wonderful times when our cities had accessible public spaces ❤

[@ElectrifiedStud]

Are you from the lineage of the mangharam biscuits by any chance?

[@siddharthmangharam9774]

Yessir! The very same :)
My grandfather was Mangharam Jivandas Pamnani. I’m 3rd gen.
You must be at least 50 years old to know to ask the question.

[@aconitine182]

That photo is just BOSS ! Makes me nostalgic just seeing it

[@RatheeshPisharody]

Bangalore is my home for more than 40 years now. Back in the 80s and 90s Vidhana Soudha was our evening spot, eating "kadlepuri" on the stairs, chatting and staring at a far less polluted Bangalore sky in the evening. I think 2001 is critical because both the US 9/11 attacks and the Indian Parliamentary attacks happened, and if I am not wrong a combination of these two factors led to this change in attitude

[@airbendingseneca]

thanks for documenting this.

[@anup256]

Thanks for sharing such amazing throwback pictures and movie clips of Vidhana Soudha, High Court, and surroundings! Loved the use of the Anand movie song and the Kala Shetty scene at the end. Brilliant editing!

[@kirikcritic3769]

Wow! What an amazing work to make this video, scrapping through so many movies to find Vidhana Soudha clips. Very rare effort these days.

[@hiteshts]

I have walked up to the large door entrance in 90s. Security casually asked us to go back and closed the door. But yes one was allowed to sit on the stairs of vidhan souda. Those were the days!

[@MrPraneeth117]

My first visit was in 1999 aged 7, along with my parents we were standing on the staircase, the tennis ball I carried fell into the vidhana soudha's fountain. Police were kind enough to retrieve the ball.

[@anjuk6255]

somehow past looks more futuristic and improved to me

[@seeknature0319]

Not sure what generation you are from. But the research in doing this video is amazeballs Bengawalk.
Bangalore lovers delight is this channel🎉

[@Albetroz1415]

I hate this fencification of Bengaluru, bari Vidhan Soudha matra alla idi city ne cage alli akbitavre, how to change that? Foreign countries look better because it's open & walkable.

[@vinaysreenivasa1060]

important work! thanks for doing this team benga walks!

[@hemanth020784]

I remeber jogging with my dad and learnt cycling from him on the free roads of vidhana soudha, high court and cubbon park on weekends. Bangalore is so broken now.

[@shreyas__]

your channel reminds me of Jay Foreman's unfinished london in a way, tumba chenna videos :)

[@bengawalk]

Wow, thanks! He's a huge inspiration :)

[@shreyas__]

@@bengawalk maybe look into making some unfinished bangalore 👀

[@Nietzsche_K_Gote]

Thanks for documenting and sharing,

[@SandeepKelvadi]

I just chanced upon your channel videos. Great work!
That Vidhana Soudha photograph was taken by me during thr Bengaluru 10k run in 2010. Would be nice if you gave credits somewhere.
Edit: Saw your blog and thr credit. 👍

[@bengawalk]

Glad you found the video & the article, hope it was a pleasant surprise :)

[@homeent]

Simply brilliant
Great combo of Learning, documenting our city's history and entertainment.
I have shared veer widely and hope you will gain viewership and subscribers !
Congratulations

[@krishnakethan]

Wow, now I understand why kannadigas say bangalore lost it’s beauty

[@navalfa7291]

My mom and dad first met on those front stairways in 1982.

[@etn422]

Nicely made!

[@anubratabhattacharya5367]

Vidhan saudha is the seat of the state legislature ie. public representatives. Hence, they should be open to the public, whether outside or inside.

[@arv1ndgr]

Lovely work 🎉

[@sumas951]

SUV cars and those RWA uncles are RWA grandpas now.

[@ElectrifiedStud]

I remember eating kadlekai on those footsteps on Sundays with my dad and mom and touching that famous stone structure. Good old days, unfortunate are these today's kids.

[@karthik2250]

They put fence after 2001 parliament attack!

[@arjunshetty7612]

born and brought up in bangalore, i had no idea this was the case

[@fuji3164]

Now only the political lords can go , democracy has died here 😢

[@user-vt7sx1qg6p]

Nan video aki sir😢😢😢😢

[@selvarajsubrammanian9242]

Even Bangalore used to be amazing in 80s

[@ShriNidhi-zu2im]

ಅವಾಗ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಷ್ಟು‌ ಜನ ಇರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ! ಇವಾಗ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿಯಾಗಿದೆ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಲಿ ಬೇಕು ‌😅

[@adityaln9361]

to short

[@TrackHawk7]

cfbr

[@aronquemarr7434]

Well at least nobody's doing a cringe-inducing dance anymore.